An electronic "stuffed toy" is sold by Microsoft under the trade mark ActiMates.TM. which appears to interact with a video program viewed on a television screen or video monitor. In the ActiMates.TM. toy a radio receiver picks up a radio signal transmitted from a special transmitter connected to the television or video cassette recorder (VCR). The VCR must be provided with a special ActiMates.TM. compatible video in which the sound track has been modified for transmission to the "stuffed toy". During playback of the video the special transmitter converts the sound track of the video recording to a radio signal for transmission to the toy. The ActiMates.TM. toy converts the radio signal to an audio signal that is fed to a loudspeaker in the stuffed toy. In this way, the toy appears to interact with the video program. However, in reality, the toy is simply reproducing the dialogue from the sound track recorded on the video tape.
There are several disadvantages with this known puppet. Firstly, it will only work with an ActiMates.TM. compatible video recording on which the sound track has been suitably modified for the ActiMates.TM. toy. Secondly, in some jurisdictions, particularly in Europe, there are very strict regulations on the permissibility of transmitting radio signals though air (due to interference with other RF devices) and it is unlikely that the special transmitter provided in the ActiMates.TM. kit would comply with these regulations. Thirdly, the ActiMates.TM. toy does not actually interact with the video program. Indeed, other sounds recorded on the sound track of the video recording can be heard emanating from the stuffed toy which tend to spoil the effect.